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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. club — for golf
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mark — a grade
  6. file — a document
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. cap — a hat
  10. game — a match
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mark — a trace
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cap — a lid
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. club — a group
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. file — a tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cap — of ice
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mark — to pay attention

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com